Better Broadband Better Lives

Verizon Field Tests 10Gbps Fiber Network

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2010 —Verizon currently maintains one of the few commercial fiber-to-the-home networks in America that achieves a top speed of 25mbps up and 25mbps down; however with increased competition by cable providers who have upgraded to DOCSIS3 which can achieve speeds of 50mbps down and 10mbps, Verizon is starting to feel the pressure.

In order to maintain its competitive edge the firm has begun to test higher speed fiber deployments. The firm has just field tested a system architecture which will achieve 10Gbps down and 2.5gbps up to the home. The test was only able to achieve a speed of 915Mbps to a server over 400 miles away but the firm is confident that they will be able to achieve their 10Gbps goal.

This superfast speed may seem unnecessary to some but with the increasing demand for high definition video, video chat, and the eventual expansion of 3D television the current levels of bandwidth are not fast enough. The chart below describes the time needed to download various file types.

This announcement by Verizon bodes well for FCC Chairmen Genachowski who has been touting the 1002 program which promises to bring 100 households to have speeds of 100mbps down.